


sum and substance

by amsves



Series: Master and Man (and Other Stories) [14]
Category: Teen Titans (Animated Series)
Genre: Bad Things Happen Bingo, Canon-Typical Violence, Captured, bound and gagged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-22
Updated: 2018-10-25
Packaged: 2019-08-05 23:17:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16376918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amsves/pseuds/amsves
Summary: Side A: Robin could admit that he'd been cocky.Side B: Terra understood, but that didn't mean she had to like it.[Bad Things Happen Bingo]





	1. side a

**Author's Note:**

> Anon requested "bound and gagged" with Robin for Bingo! Ask and ye shall receive.  
> Also, sorry for the impromptu radio silence. Midterms will do that. But I'm back!

Robin supposed they were due for a loss.

The past couple of missions had resulted in handy victories for him and Terra, and they’d gotten lazy. Complacent. Convinced they were simply the superior team. But now, captured and separated from his friend, bound and gagged (with actual rope this time), Robin could admit that he’d been cocky.

The Titans wouldn’t speak to him, which was fine. He hadn't expected them to; the last time he’d tried to have a conversation with a member of his former team had been when Terra captured Raven weeks ago, and it hadn’t exactly gone well. Being ignored by his captors was honestly preferable; leaving him alone was practically asking for him to escape.

The Titans had placed him in the center of an empty detaining room; he sat cross-legged on the floor, hands tied behind his back and with a rag stuck in his mouth. After they’d double-checked his bonds and made sure they would stay there (that was funny), the Titans had left the room, retreating to a space right outside the doorway where they could talk without feeling Robin’s uncomfortable gaze on their backs.

They were quiet, but Robin had been raised by Batman.

 _“The mission was to capture Terra,”_ Raven growled in a low voice as Robin worked on freeing himself.

 _“And we did, didn’t we?”_ Beast Boy fired back. _“But we couldn’t just snatch her--_ _somebody_ _was too dead-set on protecting her, so we had to take them both.”_

 _“He’s right, Raven,”_ Cyborg chimed in. _“You should have seen him fight when he saw you two split off to tackle Terra. He was more like an animal than Beast Boy is.”_

_“Hey!”_

Robin heard Raven sigh. _“Okay. I’m … sorry. Anyways, now we have two prisoners. What do we do with the extra one?”_

_“Maybe we could offer to return them unharmed in exchange for some information?”_

_“That’s a good idea, Star. How much do you think Slade is willing to give in exchange for his apprentices_ _returned safe and sound?"_

_“I doubt he’ll even consider bargaining with us. Robin’s too capable--Slade most likely expects him to free himself and Terra and run back home. Actually, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was already gone.”_

The Titans peeked back into Robin’s room and saw their captive sitting perfectly still exactly where they’d left him, hands behind his back and gag in his mouth. He raised an eyebrow at them, and they retreated.

Robin rolled his eyes. They hadn’t even checked to make sure he was still tied up, only that he was still there. He’d already freed his hands by the time they’d thought to check up on him.

 _“Anyways,”_ Raven continued, as Robin freed his feet and started checking the room for exits, _“It’s Terra who we need to focus on, while we still have her. Robin won’t talk, but she might. Starfire and I will head over to her room now. Cyborg, Beast Boy, you two keep an eye on our_ other _guest.”_

 _“Roger that,”_ Beast Boy intoned, and Robin heard the telltale signs two pairs of footsteps headed back his way. He pressed himself flat against the wall, right next to the doorway, and waited.

As soon as the door swung open, Robin delivered a swift kick to the back of Beast Boy’s head, knocking him to the ground, unconscious. Cyborg whirled around, but Robin was already behind the larger man, and wedged a device so thin as to be nearly invisible to the human eye in the miniscule space between circuitry plates. Cyborg shuddered and fell to his knees before collapsing completely as his systems were locked up. He stared up at Robin with his one human eye, unable to move or speak.

Robin gave him a blank stare before kicking Cyborg over onto his back. He placed his boot on his former teammate’s throat and pressed down until Cyborg blacked out.

Sure that they wouldn’t be calling Robin and Starfire, Robin into the air duct. It was time to get Terra.


	2. side b

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anon asked for "Chained to a Wall" for Bingo, and specified that, while they preferred Robin, whatever worked best for the story was fine. It's not Robin, sorry, but the last one was, so I only felt a -tad- guilty!

Terra was in a separate detainment room from Robin, and she didn’t like that.

She understood it, of course--it was far too dangerous to leave the two of them together, even the Titans could see just how powerful they were--but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

She also didn’t like the way in which she was detained. Being chained to a wall wasn’t on her list of experiences to repeat.

She wasn’t comfortable by any means, but at least the cuffs were low enough on the wall that she could stand flat-footed on the floor. But her knees were starting to lock up, and her arms being held above her head was starting to make them go numb.

Terra was saved from thinking any more about her relative level of discomfort by the entrance of  _ them _ .

When Raven and Starfire cracked the door open, Terra summoned all the energy she had left and focused it into a massive surge of her powers, and waited with a smirk on her face. Every rock and pebble within a ten-yard radius would come flying right at her captors in a wave of destruction that would leave them completely unable to counter her escape attempts.

Except it didn’t happen.

Raven raised an eyebrow and Terra felt the color drain from her face. “My powers--what did you--”

“This room was designed specifically for the suppression of superhuman abilities,” Raven explained in her signature irritating deadpan. “You will be unable to access your earthbending power here.”

“Do not be too alarmed,” Starfire added, sensing Terra’s anxiety. “Our abilities have been suppressed as well. We are all equally powerless here.”

“Suppressing my powers isn’t the same thing as making me powerless,” Terra snarled, leaning as far forward as she could, desperate to get a good hit in and swipe the cold indifference off of their faces.

Starfire and Raven approached Terra’s wall until they were only about a foot away from her, too close for comfort but still out of striking range. “Please, Terra,” Starfire said placatingly, “We do not wish to fight if at all possible. We are simply here to ask you a few questions.” 

“Of course, if things get out of hand, we have no qualms with fighting,” Raven added, sensing Terra’s disbelief, “But that is the hard way, and I would much rather do things the easy way.”

Terra snorted. “Oh, please. Why should I make anything easy for you guys? Have you forgotten? We’re enemies!”

“But it does not have to be that way,” Starfire countered. “Terra, you have hurt us deeply, and in return we have hurt you deeply as well. But it is not too late. Leave Slade and come with us.”

Terra honestly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. There was no way. 

But there was a way, apparently. “We can get you near-total immunity for the crimes you’ve committed, since we can build a pretty strong case for coercion and blackmail,” Raven explained. “You’d have to go through the legal proceedings, but that would just be a formality. Your sentence would be some amount of community service, which you would complete easily with us.”

“Of course, if you you leave him and just want to be a normal girl, we can arrange for that, too,” Starfire added. 

Raven nodded. “It’s up to you.”

“Both of those options hinge on the fact that I’d  _ ever  _ leave Master Slade’s side. You’re both bigger idiots than I thought if you think you could ever tear me away from him.” Terra’s smirk returned to her face. “You’ll have to find someone else to replace your teammate. My loyalty’s not for sale.”

Starfire’s hands clenched into fists by her side. “We are  _ not  _ trying to  _ replace _ \--”

“Oh, so this is a revenge thing?” Terra cut in. “If you’ll take mine, I’ll take yours? I see how it is.” 

“What do you think you are worth to Slade?” Raven asked, and Terra blinked.

“What?”

“We intend to trade you and Robin in return for something. What do you think you are worth to him? Information, perhaps?”

Terra shook her head. “He’ll never tell you anything. Master Slade doesn’t work like that. He’ll expect us to get ourselves out somehow.”

Raven deflated nearly imperceptibly. “Perhaps you’re right.”

“Then,” Starfire tacked on, leaning in close to Terra’s face until they were practically touching, “In that case, we should just get information from you, right?”

“Do you honestly think--” 

“Tell me, Terra—do you know his real name?”   


Terra laughed. “If I did, I sure as hell wouldn’t tell _you_!” 

“So you don’t,” Starfire concluded thoughtfully, and studied Terra with her huge green eyes in a way that made Terra feel like she was a bug under a microscope. “How about his face? Have you seen him without the mask? You don’t wear one, so it only seems fair to me. But Slade doesn’t _do_ fair, it seems.” 

“What’re you trying to get at, anyways?” Terra growled. “You think I’m gonna crack after a few questions? Spoiler alert: I’m a  _ lot _ tougher than I look.”

“I bet Slade called you a diamond in the rough when he found you, didn’t he,” Raven said suddenly.

Terra was getting tired of Raven saying such things out of left field. They kept the conversation unbalanced, tipped in the Titans’ favor, which was of course the goal. She knew, and yet she couldn’t help but rise the bait. “How did you--”

“Such raw power, but so unrefined. It’s an obvious point of comparison.” Raven gave her a look filled with such pity that Terra wanted to bash her brains in with a rock. “Almost as obvious as the fact that he’s playing you, Terra. He doesn’t care about you. He’s using you for his mysterious evil plans, and when he has what he wants, he’ll throw you out. That’s how it works with people like him. It’s in their nature.”

“Oh, so the alien and the demon are going to lecture me about human nature.” Terra rolled her eyes. “Full offense, but I don’t think you guys have the right to do that.”

“On the contrary,” Starfire countered. “I think our outsider perspective gives our commentary all the more validity. Raven is right, Terra. I do not know what Slade has promised you, but he will  _ not _ deliver.”

“As if you could do it either.” Terra choked out a bitter laugh. “You really think you could take someone like me and teach me how to be a good person? A superhero, even? Don’t make me laugh. I’m destruction  _ personified _ . A walking liability. I could never be what you want me to be, and I think you know that.”

Oops. Too honest. Starfire stared back at her with such anguish in her eyes that Terra thought the alien girl might actually start crying, and even Raven looked like she hadn’t been expecting that. “Terra--”

Time to switch tactics. “Y’know, that might be why Robin and I get along so well,” Terra mused.  “We both consistently disappointed the people around us until Master Slade took us in and showed us how we were meant to be. You know he’s interested in you, too, right Raven?” she added, fixing her with a pointed stare. “You could be one of us. But you won’t. Too afraid of proving everyone right.”

Raven crossed her arms. “And what, exactly, is everyone ‘right’ about?” 

Terra’s smile was all teeth. “You’re a monster just like the rest of us: trying to hide in the light, wanting so desperately to do good, but unable to deny your true nature and destiny.”

“You take that back!” Starfire shouted, grabbing Terra by her collar. 

Raven pulled them apart. “Starfire, keep it together. I don’t believe Terra, and I don’t think she believes herself, either.” She glanced at Terra, who was still smiling in a way that could only be described as feral. “Besides, we said we weren’t here to fight.”

The air vent cover from the ceiling above fell on Starfire’s head. She hit the ground with a sickening  _ thud _ .

Robin jumped down to the ground and positioned himself between his former teammate and fellow apprentice. Terra could have cried with relief, but she settled for a heartfelt, “Hey.”

She knew Robin didn’t like to speak around his former teammates, so she wasn’t surprised when she didn’t get a response. He sank into a crouch, ready for a brawl. Raven tugged her communicator out of seemingly nowhere and barked into it, “Beast Boy! Cyborg! Are you guys alright?”

Static greeted her call, and she tucked the communicator back where it had come from before gearing up to take Robin on. But Robin didn’t swing for her. His first action was a kick aimed at the unconscious Starfire’s head, and it connected with a harsh  _ crack _ .

Raven’s expression curled into one of disgust. “Attacking the defenseless? It’s hard to believe you used to be a hero. Wasn’t your whole schtick protecting the innocent?” Robin didn’t justify that with a response. He produced an s-shaped knife and slashed at Raven with it, driving her slowly back from Terra as she evaded. She tried again. “What would Batman say now if he saw you like this?”

_ That  _ got Robin fired up, and he lunged at Raven with a ferocity she hadn’t seen before. He pinned her to the ground, his hands around her throat. She kicked him in the stomach, desperate to get him off of her, but her feet did nothing against his armor. 

Raven could feel herself blacking out. “Terra was right,” she mumbled, “You really are a…”

Satisfied that she was out cold, Robin returned to his captured partner. “Sorry it took so long,” he said quietly as he set to work picking her cuffs. “I had to be quiet breaking myself out, or they would’ve caught me.”

“I’m not mad,” Terra said warmly. “Thanks for coming to rescue me. Not that I couldn’t have done it myself, of course,” she added, flashing a cocksure smile in his direction.

Robin returned it with a milder one of his own. “Of course. Still, it’s nice to let someone else have your back every once in a while.”

With a  _ click _ the cuffs popped open, and Terra’s arms fell to her sides. She rubbed her wrists gingerly with a wince.

“Hey,” Robin said suddenly, unable to stop himself. “Right before Raven passed out, she said something to me.”

“Don’t listen to her,” Terra said dismissively, digging an elbow into her partner’s side. “She’s just out to get us. What a witch, right?”

“Yeah…” Robin said, unconvinced. 

Terra sighed. “Alright, out with it. What’d she say to make you … like this?” 

Robin ran a hand through his hair. “‘Terra was right,’” he quoted, “‘You really are a…’ and then she passed out. What was she going to say?"

“I called her a monster like us earlier, and then said she’d fit right in on our team,” Terra explained, feeling strangely guilty for a reason she didn’t quite understand. “That’s probably it.”

Robin was silent for a long while, and then he said, so quietly Terra almost didn’t hear, “Did you mean it?”

“Huh?”

“When you said she’d fit right in, because she was a monster too,” Robin clarified. “Do you believe that?”

Terra thought back to a time a little while ago, when she and Robin and Master Slade were sitting around the kitchen table. “Don’t you remember? Master Slade himself said she would make a good fit for our team, and that he might even recruit her, and you got upset--”

“Not that,” Robin said, cutting her off. “Do you think we’re monsters, you and I?”

Terra shrugged. “I don’t know what else you’d call us, really. We’re not  _ good  _ people, sure, but there’s more to it than that. We’re not even regular  _ bad  _ people. We’re practically supervillains, or at the very least we work for one. ‘Monsters’ is a good word for people like us, I think. Isn’t it?”

Robin didn’t answer her. He didn’t say anything at all until they got home.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me and request bingo squares on [Tumblr](http://www.skeletoncloset.tumblr.com)


End file.
